The empty hallways of Idaho’s shuttered schools, in particular, convey a story of time’s unrelenting march and nature’s reclaiming hand. Once alive with the sounds of education and play, these buildings are now melancholy monuments to time gone by, with each one’s own story carved into its ramshackle walls.
These structures, which range from the modest Humphrey schoolhouse that has been shuttered since the 1940s to the famed Pleasantview school in Post Falls, are more than just artifacts; they are time capsules that are gradually being reintegrated into the natural world.
We’ll talk about the histories these five closed schools have to tell as well as the lessons they may impart to us about the enduring power of nature and impermanence.
Come along on a contemplative journey into Idaho’s past, where even though the educational sanctuaries’ walls have fallen, their legacy lives on deep inside the state’s terrain.
Post Falls
An award was granted in 1909 to construct the Pleasantview School, a two-room schoolhouse that served grades one through twelve at the time. From the one-room building a few hundred feet away, this was a major upgrade.
In addition to having “His and Hers privies,” Pleasantview was formally inaugurated in 1910. Over the years, it collaborated with the Post Falls school to educate kids and modernize.
The tiny school is now recognized as a National Register of Historic Places. In 1937, Pleasantview ultimately amalgamated with Post Falls entirely.
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Humphrey
Humphrey was never a lively town like many of its predecessors, despite the building’s size. The population actually only stayed about 25 for the majority of its life.
After being formally closed in the 1940s, this abandoned schoolhouse in East Central Idaho was bused to Spencer to accommodate a large student body. With the full disappearance of Spencer’s former schoolhouse, hardly much of Humphrey’s crown jewel is left.
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Reynolds
Reynolds is a frequently overlooked ghost town located in west Owyhee County. This could be due to the fact that Owyhee County has the lowest population in the state. Essentially situated in the “middle of nowhere,” the town underwent several name changes.
But William Dryden, who also conducted extra church services in the schoolhouse, was the one who often gave the lessons. The worn-out front porch is still standing today, and the windows without glass provide a panoramic view of the breathtaking, immaculate landscape.
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Swan Valley
The history of this stunning, dilapidated schoolhouse beside Highway 31 is unknown, but it is being restored by nature in the greatest way possible.
Even so, you’ll discover this elderly beauty traveling to the breathtaking Teton region of Eastern Idaho, so you know the environment and scenery are fantastic.
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Jerome
The Southern Idaho town of Jerome was once settled in a more rural and broad area than it is now. There were four educational districts, one for each quadrant of the compass, to properly accommodate the pupils.
Constructed in the 1920s, Appleton was the “west” school district and, because of its size, had its own distinct community. The present Jerome School District, with all of its schools situated inside the city, took the place of the other districts in the 1960s when Jerome’s population began to concentrate inside the city limits.
But they aren’t your typical one-room schoolhouse; instead, they’re contemporary artifacts from a much more distant past.
To Conclude
Idaho’s shuttered schools act as silent watchtowers, muttering histories of a bygone era. Every worn wall and shattered windowpane bears witness to the passing of time, the shifting demands placed on education, and the ebb and flow of communities.
These abandoned buildings, however, represent more than just transience.
They serve as a constant reminder of nature’s enduring strength and its gradual reclamation of space, as well as the value of preserving the learning environments that continue to shape the minds of future generations.
The knowledge acquired within these walls may deteriorate, but the anecdotes they contain are priceless recollections of the past that help us to recognize the lasting value of education and the dynamic nature of Idaho.
Thus, the next time you come across an abandoned schoolhouse, stop and consider its past and the stories it may be carrying with it.
